Fighting Uphill
by Aenlic
Summary: Away on duty, Lu Xun was not there where Orochi defeated Wu at Hefei. Upon his return, he reunites with allies Gan Ning and Ling Tong. Now it's finally time to make plans and strike back...
1. 038: this is why I'm the strategist

**Fighting Uphill  
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**Notes:** WIP; this story does not stick closely to the game but _tries_ to. Reviews appreciated! (Archived on LJ at farandine; written for the warriorslash challenge.) I do not own Koei's characters - this disclaimer applies for all chapters after this one.

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Where there were once plains and marsh between the lands of the Yue people and their capital of Wu, there stood now unfamiliar landscapes in the midst of familiarity. Fire burnt the ground and under the light of two moons, Lu Xun led his troops onwards.

Encourage by their victory, they had been riding home when _it_ happened. They had been curious at first, even when Lu Xun could feel a foreboding aura that surrounded them. Eventually, the curiosity had faded into nothing special – a strange anxiousness that hung in the air as they made their way northwards, as quickly as they could on foot. It was clear something had happened and had it not been for their earlier victory, their morale would have fallen so low with disastrous thoughts of what could have happened…

He raised one hand and the soldiers behind him immediately halted at once. In front of him, Zhu Ran galloped closer on his horse. "Commander," the young warrior spoke, breathless as his hands lifted and formed the customary greeting of respect. "There was a battle at Hefei. Bodies of the soldiers of Wu and an unknown force were found on the field-"

Lu Xun didn't have to turn to know what the men under his command were thinking. A battle and their comrades dead – _what then of their leaders?_

"But the area as far as we see was clear," Zhu Ran continued, "and there seems to be nobody around. The rest are awaiting your orders at Hefei, sir."

There was so much to consider. In the worst case scenario, everyone else in Wu was wiped out and they were the only ones left - _No, _Lu Xun thought, _no. His lords, his mentors, his friends- They could not have died._ He gripped the reins of his horse and glanced at Zhu Ran who nodded briefly, a silent message passing between the two of them. Lu Xun moved his horse slightly forward and turned her around to face his army. They were about five thousand men, brave men who had fought with him to pacify the tribes of Yue and they were five thousand men who were anxious to know if their friends and comrades remained alive. "We move," he said, after a moment of considering their faces, "We move to aid the survivors of Hefei! The first group will set up a temporary camp while the rest will spread out and search for survivors. Priority is given to saving the lives of Wu!"

His men cheered but Lu Xun spotted a few downhearted faces amidst those who cheered.

If only to keep the morale high, he knew he himself could not show any weakness in this time of need.


	2. 003: beliefs

**Fighting Uphill  
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**Notes:** WIP; look at the previous chapter's notes! Rather than spam LJ, I'd rather post here here first for now.

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The time of waiting began. Soldier after soldier, man after man - one by one, the injured were found and brought back to the makeshift camp built in the middle of the battlefield of Hefei. Even from far inside the camp, Lu Xun could feel how the area glowed gloomy and smell how the air stunk of blood and deaths.

As he waited, Lu Xun began to pace. He wanted so much to be out there, searching – to know right away the state of those he had fought beside before. And if they were dead, he wanted to be able to find their bodies and know that they could be laid to rest – _that their spirits would be appeased with burial and honors_. It was not just thoughts of his comrades that kept him uneasy – but the future of Wu and the future of his lords! _What purpose would they serve should no one lead Wu now?_ Already, the morale of his small army was dropping, and Lu Xun feared the consequences if and when they find the corpses of-

He halted his pacing. _Focus, _Lu Xun berated himself. There were no bodies yet, and that was good news. As long as no bodies was found, they could safely assume that their friends were fine– _To be foolish here is better than to expect the worst,_ he told himself and left the candle in his tent burning as he stepped out, under the light of two moons once more.

_I have to be here,_ Lu Xun thought, as he watched the surroundings of the camp. _I have to be here, just in case we are attacked and the men need orders. The first priority is to save the survivors and who can save them if we do not save ourselves?_ _Zhu Ran, Zhu Huan and Quan Zong are out there and I believe in their abilities. If any of our comrades are there, they will find them. I believe in them__._

_Because if their leader were to show any signs of regret, how would his men feel?_ He had to be the one to believe, and lead them into that belief. If the rest of Wu had fallen, then it was up to them now...

So deep he found himself in thought, he did not hear the news until the messenger stopped in front of him. Bent on one knee, the man dipped his head low and reported, "Commander! We've found Generals Gongji and Xingba! The two of them are injured but alive, General Yifeng is leading them towards our camp now!"

Relief flooded him. "I understand," Lu Xun told the messenger, "Please tell Master Yifeng to bring the two of them into the medical tent." The man bowed again and retreated back into the darkness of the night. When he was alone again, Lu Xun closed his eyes, rested his right palm on his chest and breathed, thankful.


	3. 020: in case we die

**Fighting Uphill**

**Notes:** WIP; look at the previous chapter's notes! Writing as I post and loving to write I am not so good at characterising both Ling Tong and Gan Ning yet but things get exciting!

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As Ling Tong and Gan Ning revealed details of the battle, Lu Xun's eyes widened with each new titbit of information. That Zhuge Liang had been on the enemy ranks and how easily the enemy had defeated both Zhang Liao and Gan Ning with ease were things he could not take to so easily, but the fact that Wu had been defeated, even with plenty of their best warriors in the fray, said something.

Curiously, he wondered if - _Maybe,_ he concluded silently.

Lu Xun threaded his fingers together and leaned on his hand, a position that indicated he was thinking and thinking hard. For the silence in the room, he understood both Ling Tong and Gan Ning were awaiting his orders - even as he was the youngest, he also held the highest rank amongst the three of them and the others who were at Lu Xun's side in Yue. And if they should need to go up against Zhuge Liang again, it was Lu Xun who held the only chance of defeating the famed strategist.

_But if Zhou Yu had fallen... If Zhou Yu and Lu Su and Lu Meng had fallen..._ Lu Xun didn't like the low chances he knew he had of gaining a victory against the Sleeping Dragon.

Orochi – the name of the enemy leader was not one familiar, but Lu Xun could only guess as to what that man or demon truly was, from the looks of the enemy troops. They had not been human, with scaly bodies, and Ling Tong had sworn that he heard them make the sound of snakes. Orochi, the Snake Demon Lord, had somehow got Zhuge Liang on his side. Orochi had defeated Wu and captured their lords, marching onwards towards their next victim. It was only through luck and skill that both Ling Tong and Gan Ning were here now, alive. _Injured_, but still alive.

"So, Lu Xun, what do we do now?" Gan Ning asked, his voice barely a whisper as a soldier started to wrap bandages around the wounds on his body. On the other side of the table, Ling Tong was trying not to wince as another soldier did the same for him. "You're not going to let that demon get away-"

"Shut up, Gan Ning," Ling Tong hissed, "Boyan's thinking."

"What's there to think about?" Gan Ning retorted, "We ride to rescue our lord and claim our victory against those bastards."

"Oh, I'm sure we-"

"We can't." Lu Xun wanted to look away from the two pair of eyes that looked at him questioningly but he could not flinch. Again, he said, "We can't."

"What do you mean 'we can't', boy?" Gan Ning's voice was cold as steel.

"Boyan..." Even Ling Tong looked at him doubtfully now.

"From what I've heard of their army, even with my troops, there is no chance for us to successfully conquer them in a battle, not even with strategies," Lu Xun explained. He met their gazes levelly. "Even if we do catch them off-guard, the two of you are wounded and tired from your previous fight and the morale of my troops is already low from even being here at Hefei. Too many men have died here today and all we know of the enemy cannot even fill half a scroll."

"...and so we leave our lords to die?"

"No!" Lu Xun glared at his comrades. "_I-_ That is not what I mean. What use are we if we were to die trying to save them? Who else but us can save them if we do not survive here? As much as I would love to march to fight against Orochi, right now we have to concentrate on the survivors, and on keeping our morale high."

"Boyan, what if our lords are killed while we wait here?"

He closed his eyes and leaned onto the back of his chair, considering. The one thread of thought he had since Ling Tong and Gan Ning had explained to him how the battle had fared came to the front of his mind again. "They are alive," Lu Xun said, and he was sure of it. "Orochi did not kill the two of you and you said that the rest were taken prisoners instead of being slain on the spot. Our lords are most likely... being forced to work for Orochi."

"What?" The cries of the two officers came in unison.

"I do not believe that Master Kongming has reason to work for Orochi, if Orochi seeks to destroy this world... If we assume that he is being forced to work, then the chances that our comrades are safe are very strong."

"And what if you are-" Ling Tong started, but stopped. "I understand, Boyan," he said.

Gan Ning sighed loudly. "Suppose there's nothing we can do now." He pulled his hand away and flexed it, grimacing in the pain.

"Please take this time to rest and recover," Lu Xun said, standing up. "Master Xingba, Master Gongji, I leave this tent for yourselves." As he made his way to the entrance of the tent, he heard Ling Tong grumble about having to share a tent with the former pirate of all people; for once that evening, Lu Xun allowed himself a tiny smile and left. The night breeze cooled his face as he tried to control the shaking of his hands - the shaking that both Ling Tong and Gan Ning had clearly seen.

_I'm sorry, Master Ziming,_ Lu Xun whispered inwardly, hoping his apologies would reach his mentor in his sleep - wherever Lu Meng was. _This is, I think, the best course of action for now._

He hoped sincerely with all his heart that it really was.


End file.
